DROP IN THE BUCKET - A NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION BUILDING
WELLS AND SANITATION SYSTEMS AT SCHOOLS IN AFRICA

Want to know more about the world water crisis?

HERE ARE THE
FACTS

How much water is in the world?

Water covers about 71 percent of the Earth. 96.5 percent of
that is ocean water.

How much of the water in the world
is drinkable?

2.5 percent of all the water on the plant is freshwater and it
is drinkable.

How much of the water in the world
is drinkable right now?

Only 1 percent of all freshwater is easily accessible in rivers, lakes and streams. The rest of it is stuck in glaciers and snowfields.

How many people in the world have
access to clean water?

Out of around 7 billion people in the world, only about 6
billion of them have clean water.

How many people in the world do not
have access to clean water?

663 million people in the world lack access to clean water.
That is 1 person without safe water out of every 10 people with
it.

How many people in sub-Saharan
Africa do not have access to clean water?

Only about half of the population in sub-Saharan Africa has
access to clean water! And 37% of the world’s total of 663 people
without clean water live in sub-Saharan Africa.

How does a lack of safe drinking
water affect people’s health?

Over 80% of the disease in developing countries is related to
poor drinking water and sanitation.

How many children die every day
because of drinking unsafe water?

4,500 children die every day from preventable diseases related
to a lack of access to clean water, adequate sanitation and
hygiene.

How else does carrying water affect
people’s health?

Medical research has reported many cases of lasting damage to
women’s health in consequence to carrying heavy jugs of water,
like chronic fatigue, spinal and pelvic disfigurements, and
effects on reproductive health such as spontaneous miscarriages.

How does dirty water affect
people’s living situations?

The slum population in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to
double to 400 million by 2020 if domestic governments and foreign
aid does not take urgent and serious action to provide safe
drinking water and proper sanitation systems.

How does dirty water affect the
economy?

Education is essential for short and long-term economic
progress. No country has succeeded in rapid and sustaining
economic growth without at least 40% of literate adults. Not
having access to clean water and sanitation systems lowers school
attendance rates and increases risk of disease and death, meaning
GDP also lowers.

How does dirty water affect women
and children?

In Africa, more than a quarter of the population spends more
than 30 minutes, sometimes up to 6 hours, walking 3.75 miles just
to collect enough water for the day. Women and children are
mostly responsible for fetching water and caring for the sick
(who primarily fall ill due to unclean water). This means that
women and children have less time to spend on productive
activities, such as going to school or working on a business
venture, whereas men and boys can spend their days getting
educated and making money.

Does the water crisis have a gender
bias?

Not offering girls the same schooling opportunities as boys
costs less-developed nations $92 billion every year. That means
$1 trillion per decade is missed out on in salaries.

How does providing clean water
solve health issues?

If the world did nothing besides just providing access to clean
water, without any other medical involvement, we could save 2
million lives per year.

How does providing clean water
solve economic issues?

Every 1 dollar spent on better access to water and sanitation
systems generates about 8 more dollars in costs avoided and
productivity gained.

Studies have shown that crop yields could rise up to 22 percent
if women farmers had the same education and inputs, like
fertilizer, as men farmers. Furthermore, a person’s salary would
increase by 10% for every year of school they take on, which
translates to a 1% annual increase in GDP.

How do water and sanitation
solutions help women and girls?

When girls are given clean water and private toilet facilities
at school, they don’t have to walk for miles to fetch water daily
and therefore, school enrollment increases by 15%. This means
that girls will reach higher levels of education and the benefits
this has will reduce diagnoses of HIV/AIDS, will reduce poverty,
improve the health of women and their children, delay unlawfully
young marriages, decrease female genital cutting, and increase
empowerment, confidence, and the ability to choose for oneself.

How do water and sanitation
solutions affect poverty?

“No other single intervention is more likely to have a
significant impact on global poverty than the provision of safe
water.” - Schuster-Wallace. C.J., Grover, V.I., Adeel, Z.
Confalonieri, U. and Elliot, S. Safe Water as the Key to Global
Health. (United Nations University, 2008). -

How does this affect the global
economy?

“The UN estimates it would cost an additional $30 billion to
provide access to safe water to the entire planet. That’s a third
of what the world spends in a year on bottled water.”

What can I do to help
change this?

Drop in the Bucket is drilling wells at schools in sub-Saharan
Africa. These wells make it possible for children to go to
school and get an education. Education is the most effective way
to help move communities out of poverty. By helping us build
wells you can help change lives and reduce poverty in Africa.
You can help drill a well by clicking this link. Or you can sign
up to make a one time or monthly donation.